First Impressions
by MamaBearKat
Summary: '"Uuuungh", she moaned, and wished she hadn't. She leaned her head forward on the cabinet with a dull thud. There was nothing for it. She was going to have to go outside and engage in conversation with actual people to buy something to make her feel human. Dammit.' Kagome's just moved to a new city and wakes up with the flu. Could anything make her feel better? Inukag modern AU


Kagome cracked open one eye, clutching the quilt tighter around her as she shivered. She really shouldn't be surprised. All day yesterday she'd been feeling like crap. She'd put it down to the stress of moving into a new place, but nope. She had a cold. And probably not just a sniffle considering she was both shivering _and_ sweating. She swallowed, then wished she hadn't – it felt like she had a golf ball lodged in her throat. A golf ball covered in broken glass, serrated knives and acid.

"Sangoooo?" she moaned pitifully, not wanting to move from her balled-up position under the covers. No answer. Then she remembered. Sango had gone out last night, after failing to coax Kagome to come out and meet her friends for their regular Friday night drinks at the pub. Kagome had taken a rain check, feeling exhausted after moving all her stuff into Sango's apartment and had just wanted an early night.

Come to think of it, she hadn't heard Sango come in last night. Surely, she should be back home by now? She pushed one arm out of her blanket cocoon, patting the bedside table to find her phone with shaky fingers, then pulled it back inside, squinting at the brightness of the small screen with scratchy dry eyes.

She had three missed texts from Sango.

_Kagomeee! If you change your mind hon, we're at the pub a couple of blocks down – Three Blind Mice. Come out and drink with us! Me and ma boys! We gotta celebrate you moving in! Don't be a party pooper!_

_Are you coming?! C'mon, we're going dancing! You love to dance!_

_Gon crash at Mirokuuus. Bit tipssdfy. lOve ouup Kagsssss xxxxxxxxxdsklfsx_

Kagome snorted. On the upside, it looked like she wouldn't be the only one feeling like crap this morning. On the downside, it meant she had to fend for herself. She lay there, feeling pathetic. Tried whimpering a little to see if it made her feel better. It didn't. She wished that a glass of water would miraculously appear on her bedside table, complete with flu medication and a box of tissues. It didn't. She tried engaging her usually happy go lucky personality. _C'mon Kagome! Buck up, it's just a virus. You're not actually dying. Lots of people have it worse off than you… probably._

Finally, she dragged her sorry self out of bed, shivering as her feet met the cold wooden floor. _Note to self. Buy slippers._ She had no idea where any medicine she owned might be in her half-unpacked boxes of possessions, so she dragged herself into the bathroom and opened the mirrored cabinet to see if Sango had any. Lots of eyeshadow. Eye make up remover. Some nail polish that looked like it had gone a bit clumpy. Some bedraggled looking fake eyelashes that had seen better days. But no medication. Not even a cough drop. _Note to self. Buy the entire contents of a pharmacy._

She shut the door of the cabinet and recoiled at her own reflection. Gah, she looked disgusting. Her face looked deathly pale framed by her blue-black hair, which seemed to look greasy and lank, even though she'd washed it yesterday. Nose and ears bright red. Blue eyes now watery, with dark circles underneath. Even her lips looked chapped.

"Uuuungh", she moaned, and wished she hadn't as the demon that had taken up residence in her throat commenced merrily stabbing her with a pitchfork without restraint. She leaned her head forward on the cabinet with a dull thud. There was nothing for it. She was going to have to go outside and engage in conversation with actual people to buy something to make her feel human. Dammit.

Trudging through the snow wearing her only pair of tracksuit pants, her only pair of boots, nearly every shirt she owned and Sango's puffy jacket that she'd pilfered from the hall closet, Kagome was bitterly regretting her decision to move to New York from southern California in late autumn. Who _does_ that? Her joy at finally being able to move in with her best friend Sango after securing the job of her dreams was definitely being overshadowed by her physical misery at the moment. Her shivers were reaching the proportion of actual earthquake tremors, and the cold air was making her throat feel even worse. She hunched her shoulders against the cold wind, both hands shoved in the pockets in an attempt at keeping them warm. _Note to self. Buy a woolly hat. And gloves. And a scarf_. A trickle of dampness invaded her suede boots, which were very cute, but obviously not waterproof. _And new boots._

A small eddy of frozen air whistled around her, the cold breeze managing to poke its frozen fingers down the back of her neck. She whimpered, and then made a determined face. _C'mon Kagome. Think of the pioneers. They didn't have puffy jackets, and they survived. Mostly. _She'd been walking for twenty minutes and she still hadn't found somewhere that sold over the counter cold medicine. Now she'd settle for just Tylenol, anything to dull the pain in her throat and the increasing thump in her head.

She spotted a convenience store on the corner and decided this was it. Whatever they had would be good enough until Sango got home. She shuffled in the door, scrubbing the snow off her boots on the mat and swiftly closing the door behind her. She could have wept in relief. It was _warm_ in here.

Her ears were burning with the cold, and she wished she'd had the sense to buy more cold weather clothes before she moved. She was pretty sure her boots were going to be ruined; her socks were soggy and freezing. It was only mid-November, she didn't think it would be snowing already, but apparently according to the weatherman, she'd moved in the middle of some freak early cold front. Figures.

Rubbing her ears gently to try and defrost them, she walked over to the shelves that had a small assortment of medications stocked on them, glancing at the guy standing behind the counter. She stopped. _Wow_.

He was tall, really tall. And muscular. The red flannel shirt he was wearing did nothing to disguise the width of his shoulders. But what really made him stand out was the long silver hair, pulled back at the nape of his neck. And… omg, were they _puppy ears_?! Kagome nearly squeaked out loud. There wasn't a huge demon population living in San Diego where she'd previously lived, the few that she'd met were mostly ones that had an affinity with water, seeing there were so many jobs available that centred around the fishing industry. She'd never seen anyone like him before. A dog demon, maybe? One pointed white ear twitched, obviously listening. Gah, so cute!

Kagome realised she had been blatantly staring when he turned his piercing amber eyes her way, his expression a little stern, and she quickly whipped her gaze to the shelves in front of her, cheeks burning with more than the cold. _Focus Kagome! Don't bother the nice demon. So what if he's the most spectacularly beautiful person you've ever seen. _She picked up some Tylenol, then grabbed a basket and trailed around the little store. There wasn't a huge amount to choose from, but she added a couple of bottles of Gatorade. That would have to do.

She approached the counter with some trepidation. At 5'2", she knew she wasn't the tallest person around, but next to this guy she felt miniscule. A tiny pathetic, wet kitten sized ball of sickness. He was leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed and arms crossed, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but this convenience store, and she couldn't really blame him. She'd done her time working in customer service and it sucked. She quietly put her items down on the counter.

"Um, excuse me?" _Ouch._ She almost whimpered at the ripping feeling in her throat as she spoke.

He turned towards her, uncrossing his arms, his amber eyes almost seeming to possess their own glow.

"Hey, you okay? You really don't sound so good." His voice was like melted honey, a rich baritone, and the gaze of those golden eyes was focused directly on her. A double whammy that had Kagome feeling a little weak in the knees. Usually she would have brushed off a stranger with a bland 'I'm fine', but something about that voice and the concern in those amber eyes made her tell the truth.

"Not so good. I woke up with a sore throat; I think I'm coming down with the flu."

He looked her over and Kagome felt like a deer caught in the headlights, mesmerised. Like she'd accidentally come in contact with some ancient demigod doing his best to blend into modern society by wearing a flannel shirt and jeans and failing miserably because he was just too goddamned beautiful. She tried to get her shivering under control, so she didn't look quite as pathetic as she felt, but that seemed to make it even worse.

"Have you eaten anything today?"

Kagome shook her head, unwilling at this point to speak and risk more punishment from her throat. He rumbled in response; it was an obvious reproach, a resonating grumbling growl that woke up tiny butterflies in Kagome's insides.

"You need to eat if you're sick. Would ya like a chicken sandwich? They're warm, and they're pretty delicious."

Kagome's stomach spoke for her as if on cue, and he grinned at her, a sharp fang poking over his lip, the golden eyes squinting in amusement. Her cheeks heated even more, and the butterflies turned somersaults in her stomach and woke up their friends.

"I guess that's a yes then."

Kagome nodded again, gripping the edge of the counter for support. She wasn't sure if it was the flu or the aura of the man in front of her, but she was feeling a little light-headed. She watched as he carefully wrapped up the hot chicken sandwich and scanned her other items, placing them all gently in a bag, handing it to her after she'd paid.

"You be careful out there, okay? The slush on the corners can be really slippery after it's stopped snowing. Have you got far to walk?"

Kagome shrugged. "Not too far", she tried to say, but all that came out was a creaky whisper. Great, now her voice was disappearing altogether. She swallowed with an effort. "Thankyou."

She opened the door and stepped back out into the cold, and the wind seemed to cut into her like a knife. She smothered a small whimper and began trudging away from the store, hunching her shoulders in an effort to keep the small amount of warmth leftover from being inside safe, when a sudden hand on her shoulder made her freeze.

She turned, only to see the dog-eared demon from the store. With a bright red woollen beanie in his hands. Which he suddenly plonked down on her head.

"Ya know, only an idiot would be going out in out in weather like this without a hat, especially if they're sick", he said conversationally, tugging down the edges to make sure her ears were covered.

Kagome stared at him open mouthed.

"Either you're an idiot, or you're delirious. Which is it?" He placed a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature. "Dammit girl, you're burnin' up! I was just jokin' with the delirious crack, but maybe you really are!" He stared at her seriously for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. He poked his head into the store, hollered that he was leaving for the day, grabbed a jacket and a scarf that was near the front door, then walked back to her side.

"C'mon, I'm walkin' you home", he said, shrugging on the jacket. "You said you didn't have far to walk, right? Can't be good for business to lose a local customer."

Kagome looked at him uncertainly. He certainly didn't _look_ like a serial killer, but she got the impression that most serial killers didn't go about announcing their intentions either. And he'd seen that she didn't have much money – she'd dumped the fistful of change on the counter when she'd bought stuff, with only a dollar or two to spare. What if he were some kind of pervert?

While she was trying to make a decision, he commenced winding the scarf around her neck gently, tucking the ends in her jacket. He must have noticed the hesitation in her gaze, because he took a step backwards out of her personal space.

"Hey, I promise I'm not tryin' to take advantage of ya. I'm not that kinda guy. And even if I was, which I promise I ain't, you really look terrible at the moment."

Kagome glared at him. That may be true, but he didn't have to be an asshole about it and actually _tell _her. She was tempted to rip off the scarf and hat and stomp home, but her ears had only just begun to thaw out. And to tell the truth, she was feeling so ill that she was beginning to wonder if she would actually make it home, stomping or otherwise.

The dog demon clicked his fingers, and Kagome's eyes were drawn to his long, pointed nails. His hands were large and masculine, but the tapered claws at the ends of his fingers gave them an air of elegance. Elegance? She blinked. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was delirious.

"I know. What if I call a friend of mine? To vouch for me. She's the type'a girl to tell it to you straight." He dug into his jeans pocket, pulling out a phone to dial a number.

"Hey Sango." Kagome's eyes rounded in surprise as she watched him speak on the phone. Was he speaking to _her_ Sango? It's not like it was a common name. He sniggered. "You sound terrible… Yeah sorry to wake you. Actually no I'm not… That's what you get for listenin' to Miroku – I thought you were smart. Anyway, I want you to speak to a girl I'm gonna walk home, let her know I'm trustworthy… Shut. Up. It's nuthin' like that! Okay, thanks… wait, what? Oh, I dunno, guess I'd better ask huh?"

He turned to Kagome. "Sorry, just realised that I never asked your name." He bent his head down so he'd be able to hear her soft voice over the wind whistling around them in the narrow street.

"It's Kagome", she whispered, almost giggling as the demon's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, you're Kagome?! Sango's new flatmate?" Kagome nodded, shivering violently as another breeze whistled around the corner, and the golden eyes narrowed in concern. "Shit, we'd better get you outta the wind and home before you get any sicker." He turned his attention back to Sango on the phone. "Hey Sango, it's Kagome. Yeah, your friend. She's actually sick, she's lost her voice – I was gonna walk her home because she looks terrible. Can you talk to her, let her know I'm okay?"

He handed the phone to Kagome. "Here, listen to Sango for a sec."

"Kagome?" said Sango, "is that really you?" Kagome made an incoherent creaking sound, but apparently that was enough for Sango to recognise her. "Oh, hon I'm so sorry you're not well and I wasn't there this morning. Listen, let Inuyasha walk you home. He's one of my best friends – you would have met him last night if you'd come out with us. He may look grumpy, but he's just got resting bitch face – he's actually a sweetheart when you get to know him. I'm gonna have a shower here and I'll be home in an hour or two, okay? Love you!"

Kagome handed back the phone. "What the hell Sango? Resting bitch face?" he grumbled into the phone. "Yeah right, sure, when hell freezes over. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her. See ya later."

The walk home ended up being a bit of a blur to Kagome. She was sure she was actually leaning on Inuyasha at one point, and he may have piggy backed her up the stairs. They finally made it back to the apartment, and after he'd taken the key from her shaking fingers and opened the door, he insisted she take some Tylenol straight away and have a shower to try and warm up.

She sat on the tiled floor, letting the shower pour over her. The warm water burned at first against her frozen skin, but finally she managed to thaw out. It took some effort to wash her hair and get dried and dressed, but she did feel better afterwards. The medication must have started working because the thumping in her head had decreased from kettle drum sized down to a small set of bongos, and her shivering had almost stopped.

When she tottered back out to the lounge room, dressed in her warmest pj's and thick socks with her quilt wrapped around her like a cloak, dragging on the floor behind her like a royal train, she found Inuyasha waiting with two bowls of instant ramen.

"Hey Kagome." He looked her over carefully. She must have improved since last time he'd seen her, because he smiled, holding out a bowl to her.

"You're actually lookin' a little better, but you still need to eat somethin'. I put your chicken sandwich in the fridge for later, but I thought this might be a little easier on your throat. If you can't eat the noodles, at least drink the broth."

Kagome plonked herself down on the sofa across from Inuyasha and reached out for the bowl and chopsticks, breathing in the steam and wrapping her hands around the warm of the bowl. She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks Inuyasha", she whispered. "How did you know that I love instant ramen. Did Sango tell you?"

Inuyasha shook his head and returned her smile with a toothy grin, picking up his own bowl and watching as she greedily slurped the noodles from her quilt cocoon. "Nuh, she didn't. But it looks like you and I are gonna get along just fine."


End file.
